Yuto was in unexplainable shape.
Haruka had only taken residence in the shrine while Sora and Ayano were gone for about an hour now and Yuto wasn't so sure he could handle them being out for much longer.
For some reason he couldn't explain, anytime Haruka would stand too close, he felt like someone was stretching his stomach out, his face burning, his heart hiccuping.
He hoped he hadn't gotten sick...
Thinking of her health, he sat far away from her for dinner, almost cowering as he ate.
Haruka, being who she was, had of course noticed this immediately.
"...Yuto?"

He flinched. "W-w-what..?"

"... is something wrong?"

"N-no, why would you think that...?"

She narrowed her eyes at him. "You're acting like you'll burst into flame if you get too close to me."
His face flushed and he cast his gaze down into his plate. "That-that's not it...!"
Haruka paused then, just looking at him, and Yuto began to feel a little more afraid of the silence than of the conversation. He couldn't begin to understand just what she was thinking about.
After a long, painful moment, Haruka pushed herself to her feet. Blinking, Yuto raised his head and looked up at her. Her expression was unreadable as she approached his end of the table, making goosebumps bud across his skin. As unpredictable as she was, he couldn't ever guess what she'd do next.... that scared him.
Yuto almost flinched when she sat exactly beside him, looking him dead in the eyes. He shuddered at the look in her gaze, unable to read it, unable to understand it, and his heart pounded hard enough to hurt.
"Ha-Haruka...?" He croaked, a final cry for help.
But, to his surprise, her expression began to soften, and she raised a hand to reach for his. When she took it, her touch was gentle, enough that his body relaxed instantly. Still unsure of what she planned, he bashfully raised his gaze, peeking into her face.
"Yuto," she murmured carefully. "Are you afraid of me?"
Yuto blinked, caught off guard by her question. "Afraid...?"

"You've been avoiding me... did I do something wrong?"

"N-no not at all...! It's... um..."

"You don't have to be afraid..."

"I'm not afraid."

That time, Yuto's words were confident, and it was Haruka who was caught off guard. "... you... aren't...?"
Yuto quickly shook his head.
Narrowing her eyes at him in confusion, Haruka slowly tilted her head to the side. "Then what is it...?"
He grew unable to directly meet her gaze, and he quickly turned away, running his free hand through his thick dirty blonde hair. "I... I just... Im nervous."
After a brief moment, a little smile spread across her face. "Nervous?"

"....mhm..."

"Why didn't you just say so?"

Pink bloomed in the pup's face and he fiddled with his ear. "It's embarrassing...!"
Haruka giggled at that. "You don't have to be embarrassed! I'm nervous too!"
Startled by her words, Yuto raised his head and peered back over at her. "You... you are?"

"Of course! Look."

Before he could react, she took the hand she'd captured and drew it to her chest, pressing his palm flat just below her neck. Sure enough... there he felt a rapid heart beat.
Yuto couldn't keep his face from brightening its shade of red. The contact was something he wasn't used to.
Haruka grinned broadly. "You're so adorable. Haven't you ever touched a girl before?"
He immediately gave his head a vigorous shake.
It didn't take long for him to realize he probably should have lied when Haruka's sweet smile turned into a sour one as she slunk closer. "Wanna give it a try...?"
Before Yuto could answer or even have a heart attack, the door flung open, and in stepped a distraught looking Ayano.
"...Sora's gone."